Letter-folding device.



PATENTED FEB. 12,1907. J. BAUM. LETTER FOLDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE19,19Q6.

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No.- 843,571: PATENTBD FEB. 12, 1907.-

J. BAUM. LETTER FOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19,1906- s sums-sum 2:

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PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

J. BAUM. LETTER FOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19.1906.

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LETTER-FOLDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application filed June 19,1906. Serial No. 322,492.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BAUM, a citizen of the United States, residingat Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Folding Devices,of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a letter-folding device whichis simple and light in construction, so as to be adapted to convenientlyoccupy a position on the desk and to be manually operated. It ispreferably desirable that the letter have three folds, one of which istransverse to the other two. This is a particular advantage in foldingletters or circulars on the top fold of which is written or printed theaddress in position to be exposed through the lookout of an envelopdesigned for this purpose.

As I have illustrated my device it is manually operated. Three movementscomplete the folding operation and deliver the folded letter from themachine, so that the folding operations may be carried on very rapidly.

The features of the invention are more fully set forth in thedescription of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improveddevice. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line :10 a, Fig. 1, with thepaper-guides omitted. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line to w, Fig.4. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 5 is an enlargedsection 011 line .2 2, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 7)o, Fig. 1, showing the parts in normal position. Fig. 7 is a detailedsectional view similar to Fig. 6, showing the actuating mechanism forproducing a cross-fold in its folding position. Fig. 8 is a modifiedview illustrating mechanism for obtaining a different fold from thatshown in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating thepaper in position for first folds. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic viewillustrating the first fold completed. Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic viewillustrating the cross-folds. Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic viewillustrating the crossfolds of the modified form of apparatus.

13 14 represent plates bolted together at 3, the intermediate portionsof the plates being separated to form a slideway 4. These plates form atable on which the folding is done.

1 2 represents the front of the plates, and

they are extended rearwardly in horizontal plane.

6 represent a folding-blade adapted to be reciprocated in slideway 4 toform the first fold. (See Figs. 2, 4, and 9.)

The table stands on legs 7.

The front end 2 of the bottom plate 14 has the downward extension 8,(see Fig. 3,) to which are adjustably secured brackets 9 for supportingthe sheet of paper 5 in the initial upright position shown in Fig. 9..Brackets 9 are provided with slots 10 and clamping-bolts 11 forvertically adjusting brackets 9 relative to the table.

12 represents guides for directing thepaper to its initial position.(Shown in Fig. 9.) The first fold is formed by moving the blade 6forward into the slideway 4, which doubles over the paper and slides itrearwardly longitudinally of the plates 13 14. The two subsequenttransverse folds are formed by bending the letter transversely over theopposite edges of the table, as indicated in Figs. 11 and 12. In orderto give the table lateral adjustment, I provide the top plate 13 with anadjustable bracket 42 and the bottom plate 14 with an adjustable bracket43 for the table shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and for the modification shownin Fig. 8 I provide the bottom member 14 with the laterally-adjustablebrackets 44. The transverse folds are formed by bending the letter overor crimping it against the outer edges of these brackets 42 43 44, whichbrackets form laterallyadjustable extensions of the table.

15 represents a slide-rod held in the bearing 16, formed on the end of arigid supporting-rod 17. (See Fig. 1.)

18 represents a spring, one end of which is fixed to rod 17 and theother end to a bolt 19 on the end of rod 15, the spring holding the rod15 normally in initial position. The blade 6 is attached to and actuatedby rod 15. Depending from the rear end of plate 13 is a pawl 20, thedepending end of which rests on the rear face of plate 14 to prevent abacklash of the paper.

I will first explain the'foldin'g of the letter where it is desired tohave the address written on the letter and the letter so folded that theaddress will register with the exposing orifice of the envelop when theletter is inserted. (See Fig. 11.) Brackets 9 are adjusted to supportthe paper in tle position shown in Fig. 9, in which the first fold willbe formed on a line about one-third of the distance from the bottom.Blade 6 is reciprocated, leaving the paper in the slideway 4 with thefirst fold formed, as indicated in Fig. 10, but with the folding-bladewith drawn from the slideway 4. The mechanism for imparting the twotransverse folds is shown in Figs. 6, 7.

22 represents an actuating-lever having a pivot-andslot connection 23with the supportingframe. The front end of lever 22 is pivoted at 24 tothe bottom member of a U- shaped link 25.

26 represents a bell-crank lever, one end of which is pivoted at 27 tothe lower plate 14, the other end of which lever has a pivot-andslotconnection 28 with the end of the lower member of the U-shaped link 25.The upper end of lever 26 is provided with a V clamp 29, which liesadjacent to and slightly under one edge of the table.

30 represents a lever pivoted at 31 to the top member 13. One end ofsaid lever has a pivot-and-slot connection 32 with the top arm of theU-shaped link 25. The other end of lever 30 depends and is provided withthe V-clamp 33 adjacent to and slightly above the upper edge of thetable. It is obvious that the paper which has received its first fold inthe slideway 4 lies between the V- clamps 29 33, which extend lengthwiseof the table, and which clamps or crimping members constitute thefold-forming devices for the two transverse folds. When lever 22 isdepressed, the previously described lever mechanism brings the clamps 2933 from the bottom and top, respectively, to the clamping position uponthe opposite sides of the table. (Shown in Figs. 7 and 11.) Lever 22returns by gravity to normal position when released, and. anotherreciprocation of the blade 6 delivers the letter from the rear end ofslideway 4. To fold the letter conventionally, the brackets 9 areadjusted to form the first fold about midway of the length of theletter. The two transverse folds are formed by bending the opposite endsof the letter toward one another, as in dicated in Fig. 12. Thearrangement of lever mechanism for forming this fold is shown in Fig. 8.

34 represents two three-arm levers fulcrumed to the support 35 on plate13. Arms 36 of said lever are connected by spring 37. Arms 38 of saidlevers are downwardly proj ected and provided with clamping members 39.Arms 40 of said levers project toward one another and terminate over andin position to be actuated by the rear end of operating-lever 41. Whenlever 41 is actuated, the clamping members 39 move to the positionindicated in Fig. 12, forming transverse folds by bending the oppositeends of the letter to- Ward one another.

In order to make the table extensible, I provide an angle-strip 50,bolted to the top member 13, and a similar angle-strip 51,bolted to thebottom member 14. It is against the outer edges of these strips orplates that the clamping members 39 engage to impart the transversefolds to the letter, so that the outer edges of these plates 50 51 (seeFigs. 6 and 7) are to be considered as the outer edges of the table. Theattachment is of the usual slot-and-bolt construction 52. (See Fig. 1.)

It will be seen that this device is very simple structurally and adaptedto stand on a desk and to be manually operated. The device can bereadily adjusted to give different foldings, and the operation isextremely rapid as well as eflicient.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a letter-folding device,a table formed with. a slideway, a fdlding-blade, means forreciprocating said blade in said slideway, folding devices adapted tobend the paper over the opposite edges of said table to form twofolding-lines transverse to the first fold, and means for actuating saidfolding devices, substantially as described.

2. In a letter-folding device, a table formed with a slideway, means forsupporting the letter in front of and transversely to the slideway, afolding-blade between which blade and the table the letter is initiallysup ported, means for reciprocating said blade in said slideway, foldingdevices adapted to bend the letter over the side edges of said table toform two folding-lines transverse to the first fold, and means forreciprocating said folding devices, substantially as described.

3. In a letter-folding device, a tableformed with a slideway, means foradjustably supporting the letter in front of and transversely to theslideway, a folding-blade between which blade and the table the letteris initially supported, means for reciprocating said blade in saidslideway, folding devices adapted to bend the letter over the side edgesof said table to form two folding-lines transverse to the first fold,and means for reciprocating said folding devices, substantially asdescribed.

4. Ina letter-folding device, a tableformed with a slideway, means foradjusting the width of the table, means for adjustably supporting theletter in front of and transversely to the slideway, a folding-bladebetween which blade and the table the letter is initially supported,means for reciprocating said blade in said slideway, folding devicesadapted to bend the letter over the side edges of said table to form twofoldingdines transverse to the first fold, and means for reciprocatingsaid folding devices, substantially as described.

5. In a letter-folding device, a table composed of two plates suitablysecured together with a space between them to form a slide wayhorizontally extended, a foldingdevice, means for supporting the letterinitially between said device and the slideway, means for reciprocatingthe said device whereby it moves into and out of said. slideway, foldingdevices adapted to crimp the paper against the opposite edges of thetable to form two folding-lines transverse to the first, and levermechanism for simultaneously operating the said transverse foldingdevices, substantially as described.

6. In a letter-folding device, a table, a slideway formed therein, afolding-blade, means for reciprocating said blade in the slideway toimpart the first fold to the letter, folding devices adapted to crimpthe paper against the opposite edges of the table to impart twotransverse folds to the letter, and le ver mechanism adapted tosimultaneously l i, 1 l l actuate said folding devices, substantially asdescribed. a

7. In a letter-folding device, top and bottom members forming a slideWaybetween them, a folding-blade, means for reciprocat ing the blade in theslideWay to impart the first fold to a letter, plates eXtensiblyattached to said top and bottom members, crimping devices adapted tocrimp the paper against the outer edges of said plates to impart twotransverse folds to the letter, and lever mechanism adapted to operatethe said crimping members, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JACOB BAUM.

itnesses OLIVER B. KAISER, ANTON MILL.

